Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 80

“Did I just go through the wall?” she breathed.

No time for questions.

She flew down the stairs, lungs seizing with every breath. There has to be an exit. There’s always an exit at the bottom.

Sunlight bled in from narrow wall slats, casting slivers of light across the spiraling concrete. Her shoes slapped the steps hard, heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Keep moving. Don’t look back.

A door above exploded open—then another. Snarls echoed down like a vicious chorus. She glanced up.

Wolves.

Dozens of them. Fangs bared and eyes wild. They swarmed down the stairwell in a frenzy, leaping over rails, charging downward like an avalanche of death.

Panic tore through her.

She pushed harder, faster, her legs screaming, feet barely touching each step. The bottom was close—had to be close—but the pounding of paws behind her grew louder. Closer.

Another floor passed in a blur. Then another.

Come on—

There. A red door.

She didn’t think, didn’t slow. She slammed her shoulder into the emergency exit bar, felt the crash of daylight burn her vision as it burst open. She stumbled into blinding sun.

Trees.

Tall. Endless. The Council grounds were buried deep in a stretch of woods she’d only ever seen on maps—territory guarded by the Lycan Council and untouched by human presence.

She staggered forward, forcing her legs into motion. If I can make it to the road… if I can get out of sight—

They wouldn’t dare chase her out in the open. Wouldn’t risk exposing themselves. Not to humans.

Not even for her.

A howl ripped through the air behind her.

She threw a look over her shoulder—mistake.

Wolves poured out of the door like a black tide, claws shredding dirt, eyes gleaming with intent.

They didn’t care about the rules.

They didn’t care about exposure.

They were coming.

And she had seconds—maybe less—before they caught her.

She tore through the woods like her life depended on it—because it did. Branches whipped past her face, thorns scraped her arms, but she didn’t stop. Couldn’t.

The road had to be close. She needed it to be.

Behind her, the thunder of paws rumbled through the ground. They were gaining again. She could feel it—hear it—the crunch of leaves, the snarls, the snapping jaws closing in.

A shadow flickered.

Julian stood beneath him, chest heaving, eyes still dark with the remnants of his wolf.

Christian thrashed and snarled above, vines creaking under the strain—but they held.

Julian didn’t spare him another glance.

His head snapped toward the sound of Kaelani crashing through the underbrush, still fleeing. More wolves had slipped past the writhing roots and were closing in fast.

With a low growl, Julian bolted after her, paws pounding the earth.

The chase wasn’t over.

Not yet.

Elara tore through the woods like a demon loosed from hell—fast, precise, and vicious. She moved like smoke through the chaos—dodging the limbs that moved of their own accord.

Her golden eyes locked on the fleeing figure ahead.

Kaelani.

The distance between them was vanishing in heartbeats.

Elara’s lips peeled back into a savage snarl, fangs gleaming as she lunged, claws stretched forward with a promise of blood. The taste of victory, of humiliation served cold, already curled on her tongue.

Kaelani heard the snarl behind her—felt it in her spine.

Her body screamed to keep running, but her soul ignited with fury.

Not her. Not this bitch. Not like this.